Cat nip might help be a little distraction as well. Just a thought. Esther used to completely zone out with cat nip. (How I miss that cat!) It doesn't seem to do much for Amelia but Amelia has two set reactions to everything, run and hide, or completely chill. With Helen Rose it calms her down some but not as much as it used to calm Esther down. Also I just think that Helen is a bit more rambunctious kind of cat than Amelia or Esther. She prefers harder pets for example and likes rubbing up against the sisel poles whereas Esther and Amelia only like carpet to scratch on.